Nursery and preschool retailers have been opening their doors for the first time since the end of March, as yesterday (Monday 15 June) marked the official opening date for many non-essential retailers across the UK.
Although some retailers have been able to operate online or via personal appointment systems, there has been a clear demand for reopening the stores and beginning to work out what the much-discussed ‘new normal’ will look like.
“We are obviously very happy to have re-opened our store again but we know that we will have to approach this following the lockdown as positively and carefully as possible whilst we all get used to the ‘new’ normal,” Huggle’s director Jason Heller told PreschoolNews.net.
“We are putting the safety of our team and customers first, which means that we have not been able to trade in quite the same way we would wish and that will result in extra costs and reduced footfall instore initially,” he continued. “We had one of our strongest days online during yesterday’s reopening so clearly many people are still cautious about returning to stores despite the news coverage. We’re also not convinced that the media discount frenzy is going to be helpful in the long-term either.”
Over in Lincolnshire, Pushchair Expert has been open for appointments for just over a week and according to director Jo Studholme, it is all going very well.
“Customers are appreciating the appointment system and the extra measures we are putting in place to keep pregnant ladies safe, as they form part of the vulnerable category,” she explained. “Our appointments have been very popular and the whole of June was booked up within a few hours of launching the system, as were all weekends in July! We have added extra appointments where possible and again, these are snapped up very quickly. It was nerve wracking in the build-up but once we had actually opened, it just became our new ‘norm’ and has gone very well indeed.”
Helen Stirling-Baker, the owner of Small Stuff in Sheffield, spoke to Radio 4’s Today programme before opening yesterday. “We’ve pretty much rearranged the whole shop and have marked out two metre blocks. As you enter the store now there’s a little piggy that squirts antibacterial gel out of his nose, just to make it a bit more fun!”
“Customers are then encouraged to follow rainbows along the floor to follow the one-way system,” Helen continued. “Whether people will part with their cash we will have to see, but there is excitement with a mixture of apprehension about how things are going to work. It’s going to be a learning curve for us all.”
